Thursday, October 8, 2015

Smartphone Dynamics

Cell phone dependency is now called compulsive communicating.

Chain dialers call continually to get another fix. - Spokesman Review

.......

The smartphone has become the fastest-selling gadget in
history, the defining technology of the first part of the 21st century. With
this product, Apple has become the most valuable company on earth. Latest reports
indicate that by 2020 there will be 6.1 billion smartphone users, led by huge
growth in new markets. This means that about 70-80 % of the world’s population will
be using smartphones in five years. (1)

Multiple Uses

Smartphones are
transforming society and enriching lives. Their dominance derives from their small
size and wireless connectivity. The processing power of yesterday’s
supercomputers is handheld and applied to ordinary human interactions. (2)

Anyone with a current model smartphone can handle almost all of their at-home or work tasks
without needing anything else. (3) Usage is spreading everywhere at extraordinary
speed.

The combination of size and connectivity means that
knowledge can be shared in ways that are both professional and personal. Smartphones
can recommend career changes; arrange dates online; book appointments; and link
customers with available taxis. The variety of applications is growing
exponentially.

Unhealthy attachment

Smartphones have
penetrated every aspect of daily life. The average American is occupied with a
smart phone for several hours every day.

Nearly 80% of smartphone-owners check
messages, news or other services within 15 minutes of being awake. Many people
check their phones at dinner, in the bathroom, while driving, at the movies and
in bed. About 10% even admit to having checked messages during sex. (4)

84% say they cannot
go a single day without their smartphone.

67% check regularly for missed
calls, emails, messages and text-alerts. Some check every few minutes.

88% use mobile devices as
a second screen, even while watching TV.

Almost 50% sleep with
their smartphone next to their bed because they want to make sure they don’t
miss any calls or alerts.

Reclaiming Live
Conversation

MIT technology professor and media scholar Sherry Turkle has
been studying digital culture for thirty years. In her new book, Reclaiming Conversation, she investigates
the troubling consequences of smartphone addiction. (5)

Based on five years of research and interviews in homes, schools, and the workplace, Sherry Turkle maintains that conversation is the cornerstone for social life. It builds empathy, friendship, love, learning, and productivity. It’s the most human – and humanizing – thing that people do. But today, the absence of live conversations is noticeable everywhere. The capacity for empathy and relationship suffers.

People don’t have to look, talk or listen – they escape into
their smartphone. This undermines relationships, creativity, and productivity. The
dinner table falls silent as people “check” their phones. Parents compete with
phones for their kids’ attention. It’s increasingly difficult to keep
conversations going when only a few people are looking up from their
phones.

In another book, “Alone Together”, Sherry Turkle explores what people are
looking for in a world of electronic companions and social networking tools.
She explores the power of new tools and toys to dramatically alter social lives,
insisting that the next generation must chart the path between isolation and
connectivity. (6)

Driving Dangers

Since the year 2000, because of the popularity of
smartphones that allow people to communicate faster and easier, texting has
become a social norm. Today, texting
while driving is considered to be the cause of life-threatening accidents due
to driver distraction. It is involved in about 28% of all car accidents in the
US and this is now the top cause of death among teenagers. (7)

According to a report from the National Safety Council, there are about 1.6 million
crashes in the US every year involving cell phone use, which causes 500,000
injuries and 6,000 fatalities. In many places texting while driving has become
illegal.

Facebook Addiction

Facebook is widely used across the world, with a billion
users. For millions, it has become a large part of their life and
they spend a lot of time engaging in activities such as updating statuses,
posting photos, inserting comments and ‘liking’ others’ posts. With the
availability of smartphones anywhere, the number and frequency of posts has
increased dramatically. Opinions are typically shared online, typically only
with “followers” who agree, which avoids real conflicts and solutions.
(8)

Everywhere, the absence of live conversations is noticeable.
Some people spend hours on Facebook every day, so that it starts interfering
with their lives and has become detrimental to daily functioning at home, work
or school.

This topic has generated discussions among psychologists,
journalists, and bloggers. Researchers have coined the term "Facebook
addiction" to describe people with an unhealthy desire to spend hours
checking social networking sites. A new study found that the brains of people
who report compulsive urges to use social networking sites show some
brain patterns similar to those found in drug addicts. (9)

Loneliness

Several studies suggest that Facebook and other social
networking sites have a profound impact on people. It can hurt a person’s body
image, allow people to obsess over failed relationships and even lead some
people to fall into depression. Many feel left out after seeing pictures of
friends at parties, or having dinner together. It’s been found that specific
patterns of Internet use can generate a greater propensity to experience
symptoms of depression. (10)

Many people become isolated, intimidated, disconnected and
constantly distracted. Desperately seeking emotional stimulation, they switch quickly
between websites, which reflects a decreased ability to experience emotions.
Similarly, excessive emailing and chatting may signify a relative lack of
strong face-to-face relationships. Lonely people strive to maintain contact
either with faraway friends or people just met online.

People who are habitually looking at smartphones are usually
lonely. There may be other family members around, but they tend not to engage. Even
when talking with friends online, there is a strange kind of loneliness that
arises out of peer pressure, the loss of ability to think differently. This gives
a whole new meaning to the term “alone in the crowd”.

Narcissism

A significant positive relationship has been found between
narcissism and addiction to smartphones. A key indication of this is excessive
interest or admiration of oneself and one’s physical appearance, and an
obsession with taking selfies and
posting them on social media.

Narcissistic people think that every single thing that
arrives on their smartphone is somehow connected to them. It’s almost as if they
start to become incapable of processing someone else’s life because they are so
preoccupied with their own. They resort more and more to Facebook, text and
email communications because that allows them to be the best version of
themselves, which is very appealing. (11)

Health Problems

Neck muscles, in their proper position, are designed to
support the weight of a head, about 10 to 12 pounds. When looking down at a
screen at a 60-degree angle, about 60 lbs. (27 kg) of pressure is put on the
cervical spine – the area right above the shoulders.

As smartphones and handheld tablets are becoming more common,
increasingly people are being diagnosed with occipital neuralgia. Eventually, the pressure does damage to the
nerves in the back of the neck. This can end up with shooting pain in the scalp
and permanent damage that may only be undone through surgery.

Besides muscle pain, and ailment termed text-neck can cause a host of other health issues. Sitting in a
slumped position restricts the ability of lungs to expand, impairing lung
capacity. Inhaling less oxygen means the heart needs to pump harder to
distribute more oxygen-carrying blood through the body. (12)

Switch it off!

It’s important to manage your smartphone use. (13)
Everyone needs to be reminded: Technology has a power-off button. The wisest
use it regularly. (14) Here are 5 reasons why it helps to switch
off:

Removes unhealthy feelings
of jealousy, envy, and loneliness.

Combats the fear of
missing out.

Peace and solitude are
easier to find.

Life is still about flesh,
blood, and eye contact.

Life, at its best, is
happening right in front of you.

Let’s Engage

Please share our discussion by responding to these questions
directly via the blog. If you prefer, send me an email and I’ll insert your
comments.

Do you check texts and
emails all the time? How many times a day?

Do you ever switch your
phone off? At night? While on holiday?

Do you get into a panic
when you forget to bring your phone?

Are you addicted to
constant smartphone viewing?

Do you check your phone
while in company? Sneak a peek?

When conversations don’t
interest you, do you look at your phone?

Do you post on Facebook?
How many times do you post or look, per week?

Do you consider yourself
lonely? Are you an introvert?

Do you often take selfies? What do you do with them?
Do you post them on Facebook?

7 comments:

Your summary on smartphones made me happy I don't have one, just a simple Tracfone. I rarely use it, and then only for emergencies. Just checked it now with my radiation meter and found a one-second pulse of low output. Those users of full-service smartphones might do well to check them for electromagnetic radiation.

1.Do you check texts and emails all the time? No.How many times a day? 10 to 202.Do you ever switch your phone off? At night? While on holiday? Yes3.Do you get into a panic when you forget to bring your phone? A bit , less than when I forgot my keys or wallet ...4.Are you addicted to constant smartphone viewing? start to become ...5.Do you check your phone while in company? Sneak a peek? Yes6.When conversations don’t interest you, do you look at your phone? Yes7.Do you post on Facebook? No8.Do you consider yourself lonely? Are you an introvert? Lightly9.Do you often take selfies? No, very seldom. What do you do with them? Nothing actually. Do you post them on Facebook? No10.Do you have any neck strain, or shoulder problems? Dont' know11.Would you like to switch off your phone? I do it alreadyWhen can/will you do that?

1. Do you check texts and emails all the time? How many times a day? [A] - On notification only.2. Do you ever switch your phone off? At night? While on holiday? [A] - Off from the time that I get home (landline in house) and off except when needed on holiday.3. Do you get into a panic when you forget to bring your phone? [A] - No.4. Are you addicted to constant smartphone viewing? [A] - No.5. Do you check your phone while in company? Sneak a peek? [A] - Never, have walked out on people who do.6. When conversations don’t interest you, do you look at your phone? [A] - No.7. Do you post on Facebook? How many times do you post or look, per week? [A] - No.8. Do you consider yourself lonely? Are you an introvert? [A] - Definitely not lonely, neither introverted or extroverted.9. Do you often take selfies? What do you do with them? Do you post them on Facebook? [A] - Never.10. Do you have any neck strain, or shoulder problems? [A] - Yes - rheumatoid arthritis affecting right shoulder.11. Would you like to switch off your phone? When can/will you do that? [A] - See A.2 above.This survey was read on an extension monitor from a laptop on a desk. It will now be switched off, and after enjoying dinner with my wife, we will drop down to the pub for a pint and a chat to catch up with what's going on. Technology facilitates business; don't let it degrade your personal life! The choice is voluntary.

1. Do you check texts and emails all the time? How many times a day? No. Maybe about 10 when I hear the "ding" go off on the phone telling me emails are coming in.

2. Do you ever switch your phone off? At night? While on holiday? Night no.....holiday yes.

3. Do you get into a panic when you forget to bring your phone? Only when going to the grocery store and thinking my wife may try to contact me to add to the list.

4. Are you addicted to constant smartphone viewing? Not at all. Am flabbergasted at the younger generation who have their phones glued to their hand.

5. Do you check your phone while in company? Sneak a peek? No That is rude.

6. When conversations don’t interest you, do you look at your phone? No.....same as 5.

7. Do you post on Facebook? How many times do you post or look, per week? NO I hate Facebook.

8. Do you consider yourself lonely? Are you an introvert? Never - I am an extrovert if anything

9. Do you take selfies? What do you do with them? Post them on Facebook? Never. That is the most selfish narcissistic thing I can imagine. People who do that are sick.

10. Do you have any neck strain, or shoulder problems? Not from phones....chronic back pain.

11. Would you like to switch off your phone? When can/will you do that? I do it frequently. I do leave it on most nights as my company officers in the Mid East may need to contact me and they start work at about 1AM my time.

I have a lot of shortcomings, but phone addiction is not one of them. I do agree with your observations about their use. I think it is disgusting! A phone conversation has it place and its uses – but it cannot replace a personal conversation – the emotions, the innuendos, the voice inflections –all the things that make us human.

I have great concern about our young people. As you say their attention is so directed to being “connected” they forget that they still live in a real world – not a virtual electronic one. I have personally seen people walk into walls, walk into traffic while looking at their phone They have no concept of the beauty and the inspiration of the real world. The first thing an “addicted” visitor will do is usually pull out his phone and start showing you photos of his life – I’d much rather have him talk to me.

Texting is another, different, problem. The English Language is a beautiful tool – why destroy it by the phonetic shortcuts of texting?

I plead innocent to all the questions you pose. Yes, Cheryl and I both have and use cell phones – old ones – no pictures, no texting, just personal conversations, used for emergency situations like a car problem or forgetting an item at the grocery store. I check my e-mail irregularly – every two weeks or so. Being “connected” is not my priority.

Cell phones are useful – but way overused. Technology does not often create a “need”. Advertising does that.

1. Do you check texts and emails all the time? How many times a day?Since my work is on a computer, and most of my emails (other than spam) are from my clients, I check my emails dozens of times a day. Also, some of my clients will call or text me on my phone.2. Do you ever switch your phone off? At night? While on holiday?Phone is off at night and often on vacation.3. Do you get into a panic when you forget to bring your phone?No.4. Are you addicted to constant smartphone viewing?No.5. Do you check your phone while in company? Sneak a peek?No.6. When conversations don’t interest you, do you look at your phone?No.7. Do you post on Facebook? How many times do you post or look, per week?Maybe post a comment 1-2 times per month.8. Do you consider yourself lonely? Are you an introvert?No. 9. Do you often take selfies? What do you do with them? Do you post them on Facebook?No. 10. Do you have any neck strain, or shoulder problems?No. 11. Would you like to switch off your phone? When can/will you do that?Since it does not interfere with my life, why would I switch if off during the day when I am working.

A nice article to read. With many of these propositions I therefore agree . Simply because the mobile phone is nowadays for many uses. Even for a mobile work is of great importance. A mobile phone has become a must!